Two Salisbury Bombs Sink Spartans on Saturday

Sep 28, 2007

YORK, PA-The York College women’s soccer team put together
a solid effort but fell to the Salisbury University Sea Gulls 2-1
in a big Capital Athletic Conference showdown on Saturday in
York. The Sea Gulls remain unbeaten as they improve to 8-0-1 and
4-0 in the conference. The Spartans fall to 7-3-1 overall and 3-1
in the league.

The first half saw the Spartans carry the first 30 minute of
action. York’s first dangerous opportunity came when senior
Erin Kuhn (Turnersville, N.J. /Washington
Township) was fouled just outside of the box. Junior
Caitlin Allen (Langhore, Pa/Council Rock) took the
direct kick, bent it around the wall only to have Salisbury keeper
Gena Goodson make the stop in the 22nd minute. The Spartans
maintained pressure on the Salisbury net. That pressure finally
paid off in the 24th minute as senior Katie Kegerreis
(Honey Brook, Pa./Twin Valley) captured a loose ball at
midfield. The defender lofted a pass to a front-running
Kayla Denmyer (New Freedom, Pa./Kennard-Dale) and
the junior forward flipped a shot over Goodson for the 1-0 Spartan
lead. The green and white had another good chance a minute later as
junior Kaitlyn Harney (Stewartstown, Pa./York
Catholic) hit a shot that just eased over the crossbar.

The Sea Gulls came roaring back in the final 15 minutes of the
half as they regained their shape and seized the momentum. The
Gulls had a corner kick in the 38th minute that the Spartans
struggled to clear as the visitors continued to push up into the
Spartans’ defensive zone. That change in momentum was capped
with Hillary Grove hit a 43-yard bomb off a loose ball that rode
the 20 m.p.h. wind, hit the inside of the left post and found
the back of the cage, tying the game with just 3:30 remaining in
the half.

The second half proved to be almost a carbon copy of the first
half as the Spartans dominated play in the first 35 minutes only to
have Salisbury hit a long bomb to win the game. The Spartans second
half chances included consecutive shots from Kuhn and Emily
Sullivan (Bowie, Md. / Archbishop Spalding) in a 35 second
margin early in the half. York’s best chance came on a corner
kick from Denmyer as she placed a perfect pass on the head of
Kali Macgregor (Rockville, Md./Academy of the Holy
Cross). Macgregor’s header just eased over the cross
bar as six inches lower and the Spartans have a 2-1 lead with 16
minutes left in regulation. After Macgregor’s header missed,
Sullivan fired another shot on goal but Salisbury again grabbed the
momentum late in the half. They created a corner kick in the 83rd
minute and kept the ball down the Spartans throat until Dana
Passucci drilled a long shot, this time into the wind, from 30
yards out that went off Spartan keeper Desiree Halaka
(Southampton, N.Y./Southampton). Halaka got her hands on
the high shot but she could not control the ball’s momentum
as it carried into the net for the Salisbury goal.

The Spartans had one last chance as senior Jenna Knaper
(Red Lion, Pa. /Red Lion) struck a shot from the top of
the box with just over a minute left only to have the shot nick the
cross bar on the way by, falling harmless over the top of the goal.

The green and white held a 17-5 bulge in total shots including
an 8-4 margin in shots on goal. York had six corner kicks to two
for the Gulls.

Goodson earned the win as she notched seven saves for Salisbury.
Halaka made two stops for the green and white.

The Spartans return to action on Wednesday night when they
travel to Messiah College to face the Falcons in a non-conference
contest. Kick off is slated for 7:00 pm.